"They may actually help get some people to reach out," he said of potential suitors.

Grigson, in his second year on the job, has already made 15 trades as the Colts general. He has quickly gained a reputation within the league for his aggressiveness, almost always willing to talk trade.

He was pressed to find a running back after losing Vick Ballard for the season with a torn ACL, and said that he talked to five or six teams about trading for a back until the deal for Richardson quickly materialized.

Interestingly, it was an old connection that helped land the deal for Richardson - which at the moment appears to be a coup for the Colts, while anger in Cleveland rages on with fans disappointed that the team parted ways with the franchise back.

Grigson worked the deal with Browns President Joe Banner, whom he worked under during his years in the Philadelphia Eagles personnel department.

During a significant part of his eight years in Philadelphia - he progressed from scout to college scouting director to personnel director - he sat in a box with Banner on game days. So it seemed natural that he struck the deal with Banner, rather than with Browns GM Mike Lombardi (who Grigson worked with on a trade during the draft that landed defensive tackle Montori Hughes with a fifth-round pick, in exchange for a fourth-round choice in 2014).

"The thing I know about Joe is that he's up front," Grigson said. "And you know it wasn't going to come cheap."

With the last statement about the price for Richardson, Grigson sounded gracious.

He landed a player who was picked third overall in 2012, two slots after the Colts took Andrew Luck and one slot after Robert Griffin III.

That Richardson was traded is stunning enough in a league that rarely sees top players exchanged, and particularly during the season. That the price wasn't higher was another part of the surprise.

Perhaps the Browns, building for the future, will make good use of the first-round pick and land a franchise quarterback or another pillar player. But barring a Colts collapse this season, it's unlikely that the pick will be a top-10 selection.

The merits of the deal will be proven in time.

Richardson has had some injury issues, though none serious enough to keep him off the field for extensive time. He played in 15 games as a rookie, demonstrating an ability to play through injuries.

Grigson, though, has nothing to second-guess.

"We got our first-round pick, seven months early," he said. "And when will I get the opportunity to get the third pick in the draft?"

Besides, Grigson knows that the draft is such a crapshoot.

"Now the mystery is gone," he said. "We know what we've got. With college players, you're still doing mental gymnastics in trying to project them: What will he do against NFL talent?"

Landing Richardson - who will play in Sunday's game at the San Francisco 49ers, but could be limited in passing situations because of the new playbook - came on a week when the emotions were mixed for Grigson.

Tight end Dwayne Allen, an emerging star, was lost for the season with a hip injury.

"The injuries can kill you, but that's life in the NFL," Grigson said.

Last year, in addition to coach Chuck Pagano's battle against leukemia, the Colts had 13 players on injured reserve.

"But if we hang our heads for a second, we lose," Grigson said. "So we've got to go roll. That's how we live here. You get crushed by injuries, but you have skin like an alligator and carry on."

And so what if Irsay tweets about the big deal that's about to happen.

No need to feel jinxed.

"He's the owner," Grigson said. "He can do what he damn well pleases. But he's not going to compromise anything. He's too smart to ever put us in a position where he's going to hurt a deal. He's way too smart and too savvy for that."

Other items to ponder as Week 3 rolls on:

Three intriguing storylines

- Aldon Smith and the 49ers. Two days after smashing his truck into a tree and getting arrested on charges of suspected DUI and marijuana possession, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith will chase Andrew Luck on Sunday as his team's premier pass rusher. While Smith - whose Breathalyzer test measured at 0.15 - deserves his due process in the legal arena, the 49ers have no restraints that would prevent them from sitting him down. Except, of course, that he's the third-year pro who produced more sacks during his first two seasons (33 1/2) than any player in league history. Coach Jim Harbaugh's contention that the league will handle the discipline is a cop-out. Remember the death of Dallas Cowboys practice squad player Jerry Brown in December? He was the passenger in a vehicle driven by teammate Josh Brent, now facing an intoxication manslaughter charge. Smith could have killed someone, even himself. Last season, when backup defensive tackle DeMarcus Dobbs was arrested on DUI and marijuana charges, the 49ers left him home when the team traveled to St. Louis. And during Super Bowl week, the club swiftly took a stand to denounce cornerback Chris Culliver's anti-gay remarks. Yet in this case, it's business as usual - even worse when considering this is Smith's second DUI arrest in 15 months. Last season, then-Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner played the Sunday following a DUI arrest. So the 49ers non-move on Smith is not unusual. It's also reflective of an alcohol policy that doesn't have enough teeth in it. Despite the lip service and other efforts made by the NFL and the NFL Players Association - Smith apparently didn't seek assistance early Friday from various resources offered by the league and players union - there are times when people with authority can take a stand with their actions. The 49ers - and Harbaugh - have just flunked that test.

- Ed Reed returns. We know that the former Baltimore Ravens safety is coming back to M&T Bank Stadium with his new team. But when the Houston Texans arrived in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon, it was still undetermined whether Reed, 35, will make his season debut after missing the first two games following hip surgery. It would be fitting enough. The Ravens will honor one of Reed's longtime teammates (Ray somebody) on Sunday, which could fuel a few flashbacks. That Reed - who was limited in practice this week and is listed as questionable - has been delayed in getting up to game speed also brings to mind some of the physical struggles he's had in recent years, with shoulder and neck injuries that prompted him to mull retirement. If he returns Sunday and resembles the player who was one of the greatest safeties in NFL history, that's more bad news for a Ravens offense that has had an assortment of woes that include making big passing plays downfield.

- Cowboys rushing woes. The last time the Dallas Cowboys faced the St. Louis Rams, then-rookie DeMarco Murray accomplished something that surpassed the best of Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith: Murray set the franchise's single-game rushing record with 253 yards. That was nearly two years ago. Now, with the Rams coming to AT&T Stadium, things have changed a bit. The Rams had the NFL's worst run defense in October 2011, but are vastly improved with the league's fifth-ranked run defense allowing just 61 yards per game. And there's clearly a different vibe with the Cowboys rushing attack, tied for 26th in the NFL (62 yards per game). Murray hasn't had a 100-yard game since the 2012 season opener, and Dallas' plans to put more emphasis on establishing the run has hardly materialized - even with coach Jason Garrett handing off play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Callahan. The Cowboys have had passing plays on 71.1% of their 135 snaps (91 passes, 5 sacks), versus 39 rushes, including four by quarterback Tony Romo for 2 yards. Last season, the Cowboys rushed on 33.8% of their snaps. So even with the revised emphasis - and a track record showing the Cowboys are 4-0 when Murray cracks 100 - the projected rushing uptick hasn't happened. Sure, it's a passing league. This isn't 1970s football. Yet teams still need to run when they have to or want to in order to seal a game. Romo's impact on this can't be ignored, either, with the quarterback getting more leeway to change the plays at the line of scrimmage after scanning the defense - which he acknowledged this week has surely occurred.

- Who's hot: Jay Cutler. The Bears quarterback hasn't had a 300-yard game since Week 1 of the 2012 campaign, so this is not about eye-popping numbers. It's about results in crunch time. Cutler has directed two last-minute, fourth-quarter touchdown drives to send the Bears into Sunday night's clash at the Pittsburgh Steelers with an undefeated record. Last week, a 16-yard TD pass with 10 seconds on the clock to new tight end Martellus Bennett - quickly emerging as a Cutler go-to target in the red zone - pushed the Bears past the Vikings. Cutler's 95.6 passer rating is worth noting, too, as he tries to find a flow with new coach Marc Trestman's scheme. He's never rated higher than 88.1 in a full season. And with the Bears allowing just one sack in two games, the protection has been betterâ?¦which makes the life of any big-armed passer that much more comfortable.

- Pressure's on: Robert Griffin III. It's tough that RG3 hasn't been able to make enough of a miraculous rebound from his reconstructive knee surgery that, in addition to quarterbacking, he can't have double-duty impact with a Ronnie Lott-like presence on the Washington defense. For all of the troubles that Griffin has had in regaining his rhythm as the field general, Washington's worst-ranked defense - allowing 201 rushing yards per game - has made matters even worse. Washington has been outscored 50-7 in the first halves this season - and the seven came off the return of an errant Philadelphia Eagles lateral - to put a torch to the game plans. Last season, RG3 energized the entire team as the rookie phenom. Yet, as Washington tries to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2001 on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, it seems that opposing defenses aren't the only defenses putting pressure on RG3 as he tries to find his groove.

- Rookie watch: EJ Manuel and Geno Smith. Although it was widely projected that Smith would be the first quarterback selected in the NFL draft in April, the Buffalo Bills took matters into their own hands and selected Manuel with the 16th pick overall. That, despite the widespread speculation that first-year Bills coach Doug Marrone would draft his quarterback at Syracuse Ryan Nassib (who was taking in the fourth round by the New York Giants). Smith was taken by the New York Jets in the second round, 39th overall. That both landed in the AFC East allows the debate of which quarterback should have been drafted first to be extended with head-to-head matchups. The first of perhaps many is set for Sunday at the Meadowlands, where Manuel and Smith will bring 1-1 records. While there are so many variables that come into play when measuring quarterbacks - scheme, coaching, surrounding cast, support from the defense, to name a few - the eyeball test is not to be ignored. In Week 2, Manuel won in crunchtime by staying poised on a last-minute TD drive. Smith unraveled with three INTs during the fourth quarter of a winnable game at the New England Patriots, which was the opposite of a debut in which he improvised to make several huge plays. With three of his four picks this year coming while he has scrambled, it will be interesting to see if that pattern continues for Smith on Sunday. As for Manuel, a key subplot revolves around whether he will stay poised while facing a Rex Ryan defense that will be the most sophisticated he has seen yet.

- Stomach for an upset: Panthers vs. Giants. Fourth quarters have been so unkind - or so revealing - for the 0-2 Panthers. Last Sunday at Buffalo, Carolina allowed the winning TD with two seconds left. In the opener against the Seattle Seahawks, the Panthers blew a fourth-quarter lead as the defense was shredded by Russell Wilson. This pattern didn't just begin. Since Ron Rivera became coach in 2011, the Panthers have lost 10 games in which they led in the fourth quarter. Now comes a chance on Sunday against a team that has had its own late-game issues. The Giants have committed an NFL-high 10 turnovers, and whatever the last-minute magic that Eli Manning is known for has yet to surface this season. Four of his NFL-high seven picks have come in the fourth quarter. What gives? The team that reverses a trend, wins.

-- Next man up: Lamar Holmes. The second-year Falcons tackle will likely slide over from the right side to the left, to protect Matt Ryan's blindside, as Sam Baker is sidelined by knee and foot injuries. Then recent veteran pickup Jeremy Trueblood can slide into the right tackle post, with rookie Ryan Schraeder in the wings. The shuffling of an already-suspect offensive line - facing a Dolphins defense in Miami on Sunday that entered Week 3 tied for the NFL lead with nine sacks - is just one of the issues for a Falcons squad that had perhaps the worst week of any NFL team on the injury front. Running back Steven Jackson (thigh) will miss Sunday's game, while the best linebacker, Sean Weatherspoon, and the most versatile defensive lineman, Kroy Biermann, joined fullback Bradie Ewing on injured reserve. Baker's setback also coincides with two other teams suddenly missing their left tackles - Houston (Duane Brown) and Denver Broncos (Ryan Clady). For Holmes, it does not figure to be an easy switch. He'll be matched up against Cameron Wake, who had 2 1/2 sacks in Week 1 at Cleveland when matched against one of the NFL's best left tackles, Joe Thomas.

- Stat's the fact: With a league-high 90 points, the Broncos are just the third team in the last 30 years to score at least 40 points in each of their first two games. It's the second time Peyton Manning has been a part of such, following the mark with the 2001 Colts (the 2009 New Orleans Saints, triggered by Drew Brees, was the other team to open with 40-plus in back-to-back games). Manning, leading the NFL with a 131 passer rating (9 TDs, 0 INTs), is on pace to throw 72 touchdown passes. But first things first: With 3 TDs against the Oakland Raiders on Monday night, Manning would surpass the 11 TD passes that Tom Brady threw in 2011 as the most ever during the first three games of a season.